World War II multiplayer first-person shooter Hell Let Loose went free on the Epic Games Store earlier this week, a limited release that has benefited other platforms as well. The 100-player military shooter from publisher Team17, which was released in 2021, was free as part of Epic Games’ mystery giveaway that started on January 2nd. (The giveaway ends Thursday at 11 a.m. EST.) The giveaway has greatly increased the number of players on the Epic Games Store itself, where it was previously unavailable for play, but has increased the number of players on Windows PC through Steam as well.
Starting from January 2 of this year. Hell Let Loose began its upward trajectory on Steam, reaching an all-time peak of 20,388 concurrent players on January 5th. (The combined peak across all platforms was 140,000, according to a developer on X.) Prior to the Epic Games Store giveaway , player numbers hovered below 10,000 concurrent players for months.
The game, which pits squads of 50 soldiers against each other, is known for its realistic tactical gameplay. It’s still popular since its release in 2021, but the Epic Games Store giveaway has given it a major hit. But because of this, players are reporting increased queue times and server issues. So why the increase in Steam, where Hell Let Loose noticeably no free? (It retails for $35.99, a 40% discount from $59.99.) Steam’s player count obviously doesn’t count players accessing the game from the Epic Games Store launcher; approximately 40,000 people have played the game for free using this platform. The resurgence is likely due to the power of friendship: people come back to a game after quitting, probably because their friends got interested in it after grabbing it for free. Some Steam fans who like to have their games in one place may have made a purchase there as well.
